Thin Line
by TionneDawnstar
Summary: Vincent finds there is a thin line between love and hate, life and death... self delusion and growth. A set of seven Yuffentine song fictions, YuffiexVincent pairing. Takes place during and directly after Dirge of Cerberus. Full of Spoilers! COMPLETE!
1. Rescue

Ok I know you are all going to kick my butt for not updating Shattered, but don't worry, I'm working on that as soon as I post this LOL. This is a set of three songfics, all right after Dirge of Cerberus. This is Yuffentine, YuffiexVincent pairing, so if you don't like it, don't read it. FF7 is owned by Square-Enix, and the song is Love Rescue Me, but U2. A series of three song fics, this one is from Vincent's point of view, explaining his absence after Omega was sent back to the planet, the next one will be Yuffie during the absence… then the final being Yuffie and Vinny fluff and angst more then likely. I don't know if I like writing in first person, present tense… I hope I did alright. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 1: The Rescue**

_**Love rescue me  
Come forth and speak to me  
Raise me up and don't let me fall  
No man is my enemy  
My own hands imprison me  
Love rescue me**_

Am I dead?

I must be, no one, not even me, could live through that type of explosion, Chaos and I had destroyed the indestructible. The world is safe, and I paid the ultimate price. My body hurts so badly, I couldn't be anything but dead.

And that's fine, a monster like me died saving the world. No, the _man_ in me died saving the world, the monster was merely returned to the planet… was I really such a fragile being? I had always thought myself strong as the steel at my hip. I guess everyone has their delusions. I was cold as the steel as well, too cold to cling to anything but the uncomfortable warmth of sin.

_Can sins ever be forgiven?_ Right now, I think so… I've never felt my chest feel so light. Then again, I think I've always had the power to forgive myself, I only had to forgive Lucrecia… maybe that's why I suffered so long, I couldn't admit to myself that deep down…

I _hated_ her, I hated her for what she did to me, I hated her for lying, and I hated her for leaving. It's like they said, it's a thin line between love and hate. I tried to only dwell on the fierce love, and the hatred was what did this to me. The shame of hating someone you loved so completely, that was my true sin.

I _lied_, I lied to myself, and I lied to my friends… I denied everything in my heart and the truth for so long, locked in that box… I was like Cloud, fervently clinging to a reality that was never there. Lucrecia loved her job, and she saw me as a reminder of her own failures… I became an experiment to her, because she was so scared to fail again…

Look at us Lucrecia, what a couple of failures we turned out to be. Being the best and the brightest at Shinra Corp didn't save us from being fools… Bitter, those words are so bitter and true, and I turned out to be the biggest fool of them all. I pushed love away when it was never the problem… I could have been happy.

_**Many strangers have I met  
On the road to my regret  
Many lost who seek to find themselves in me  
They ask me to reveal  
The very thoughts they would conceal  
Love rescue me**_

I, Vincent Valentine, as laudable as that may seem, wanted to be happy. I just never thought I deserved it. My friends all saw it, but I never could. Cloud would give me that knowing look as he reached for Tifa's hand, Tifa would smile softly and pat my back, trying to offer comfort. Cid would pour me a drink, and call me kid even though I'm twice his age, and Barret would trust me to watch over Marlene. Nanaki talked to me about science and astronomy, and Reeve looked to me as a source of strength when he didn't have enough of his own. Then there was Yuffie… the obstinate little ninja that showed me her feelings more then anyone.

Yuffie Kisaragi, the White Rose of Wutai, would come out of nowhere and save my life. She knew something that I didn't… that my life was worth saving. I was supposed to be the protector, be there to help my friends by turning into some terrible beast and staying alive to heal them when all hope had flown. I was the line of last defense, picking up my battered comrades so we could regroup and return, stronger then ever to finally defeat the evils of the world. How did I know that the tiny ninja with a tongue sharp enough to rival her deadly kunai, would feel the need to save me. Why was she there when I nearly lost myself and my life to Rosso the Crimson? Why was she in Nibelhiem of all places, the only place she refers to as _ewww… that spooky place?_

And why did my heart leap in my chest to see it was her behind the cowl, her goofy, grinning face causing my battered chest to thump wildly. She was flirting and what wonderful poetry came out of my mouth? _It's been awhile…_ If my friends could only read my eyes, they'd know that more goes on in my head then outside, but that doesn't mean I love them less… it doesn't mean that I don't _need_ them any less. The times I stare off into space, pulling myself in for quiet introspection, they thought I was cold, but normally I was just too scared to loose one of them and have to suffer all over again.

_**And the sun in the sky  
Makes a shadow of you and I  
Stretching out as the sun sinks in the sea  
I'm here without a name  
In the palace of my shame  
Said, love rescue me**_

Like when we all lost Aerith. It didn't hurt me any lease then the rest of them, Cloud, Tifa and Barret had really been the only ones able to say goodbye to her. That just made me shyer, causing the wall to thicken. Yuffie had been the only one to see this, and weasel in all the deeper. Did I want her too? No, of course I didn't, a demon like me would only taint a young girl like that. I had to resist, Chaos loved taunting me with visions of the young ninja writhing in pleasure under me. He could sense the hidden desires I wouldn't even admit to myself.

_**In the cold mirror of a glass  
I see my reflection pass  
See the dark shades of what I used to be  
See the purple of her eyes  
The scarlet of my lies  
Love rescue me**_

Now, in the grip of the Lifestream, I have no problem admitting that I wanted Yuffie… I wanted her for my own. For all her silly antics and busting pride, I loved her. She was the very antithesis of what I had become, and a reminder of how I'd been before Lucrecia and Shinra Manor. I'd been alive.

**_Yeah, though I walk  
Through the valley of shadow  
Yeah, I will fear no evil  
I have cursed thy rod and staff  
They no longer comfort me  
Love rescue me_**

And now, I'm dead, given my life to protect her, and all my friends… I'd finally succeeded. I'd won in my death, and now it was all over, and I would be left with my regrets for eternity. If only I'd had the courage to tell her… Self sacrifice brought out by love can really be a bitch sometimes. The truth was painful, as bad as the pain in my back. Wait…

_**I said love, love rescue me  
I said love  
Climb up the mountains, said love  
I said love, oh my love  
On the hill of the son  
I'm on the eve of a storm  
And my word you must believe in  
Oh, I said love, rescue me  
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah...**_

Come on eyes, open…

Where am I?

Lucrecia's Cave… did you save me again? Am I smiling? I guess I am. I'm so happy that it's not over, that I can fix this… Lucrecia had saved me once again, and now I was cleansed, newly baptized and ready to face the world.

Reborn, alive, and ready to put all this behind me; I'll always remember the pain and anguish I suffered all these years, and I'll never be Vincent Valentine the Turk, nor will I be the Gunslinger Possessed… I think I'll try to find how Vincent the Man reacts to the world.

_**Yeah I'm here without a name  
In the palace of my shame  
I said love rescue me**_

"Everything's alright now, Chaos and Omega have returned to the planet." There, I said it; I have no reason to hold back now. My muscles ache from a week's disuse, and my heart is finally letting the last of that healing pain go… it's time to live.

"Thank you…" I say to her unmoving form, with a mixture of relief and sadness. I was leaving her, finally, after all the years that she left me, I was moving on, "for my life." I was keeping my promise to Shelke, I didn't even need to see her message to me… there was no way I couldn't let myself take the opportunity.

_**I've conquered my past  
The future is here at last  
I stand at the entrance  
To a new world I can see  
The ruins to the right of me  
Will soon have lost sight of me**_

I stood, finally, on shaky legs, though I'm not sure if it's the disuse or the anxiety of starting over, but I knew as I left that cave, that I would never return. To do so would be hanging on to the painful past… and I was over it now. I was healing, no longer was this great, gaping wound in my soul, but rather a thick scab, tenderly wrapped in the gauze and cool salve of self perception. Coming through the waterfall is like being born again, the waters purifying my previously putrid soul.

Shelke is waiting for me, and I'm surprised she knew where to find me. She tells me that my friends sent her there, and the tiny smile playing over my lips grows just a bit more. Some water birds take flight from their nests along the valley walls, disappearing into the altered sky. I feel so light right now, I think I can join them, even without the wings of Chaos. "Hmph," I respond to Shelke's voice, the first sound I've made since the world was saved, and for once it wasn't a heavy sound. Just my way of confirming that I was there, and I was listening. I start to follow her out, toward the waiting Shera and all my friends, and I take one last look at the cave. "Goodbye," I whisper so softly, my voice is lost in the wind. Looking back to see Shelke far in front of me, I start out toward my future.

I want to see a certain little ninja, and let her know, it was my love for her that saved me in the end. And even if she didn't feel the same, it would be nice to get it off my chest. Yes… it had been laden with empty regrets for far too long. I was free and alive now, no longer locked in the prison of my own design.

_**Love Rescued Me**_


	2. Rose

Ok! Here is the second songfic, this is to Bette Midler's The Rose. You know, the whole White Rose of Wutai… the song fits almost too well. And again, I neither own it or FF7 (that would be Square Enix) I'm basically do this because I'm stuck on Chapter 13 of Shattered, not sure what to do, but I don't want the creative juices to stop. Enjoy Yuffie's ramblings…

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**The Rose**

_**Some say love it is a river  
that drowns the tender reed **_

Am I dead?

I swear, I must be, the pain in my chest is so bad. Gawd who knew, who in all the Planet could have thought that the Great Ninja Yuffie would end up falling for _him_. I'm so peppy and optimistic… and he's just so… just so… _not!_ Maybe it happened sometime, just poof, there you go, congratulations Yuffie you are in love with a man from a gothic monster movie… and we aren't talking the dashing hero that saves the fair maiden from the vampire… oh no, he is the sexy, thin, tall… beautiful vampire. See the flashy hero is more Cloud's style… muscle-y, blond and with a bit of vulnerability that causes a girl to swoon. I wonder if the other guys in Avalanche ever got mad that the three girls, beautiful girls I might add, all fawned over Cloud like he was a god. Well, he kinda is, the way his muscles move when he swings that huge sword, all manly. Anyway, I know that was just a crush, and really it had started before I even knew Vincent Valentine existed. Who else would I crush on? Barret? I don't think so… he's way too old.

Never mind that the man I'm in love with now is over 60… but he looks 27, so it's sorta like the thirty years in a coffin don't count. Well… they don't, so there. When did it happen? I know my heart jumped in my chest the first time I saw him, and not because he scared me. I was in awe of him, once I got over the fact he'd been in a place full of dead bodies for years... grossness.

All that black hair spilling over his broad shoulders, those eyes… my gawd those eyes can dissect your soul in three point four seconds. They do such a through job of it too, you can't help but shrug and say, _yeah I think you're right…_ you're agreeing to whatever he says, and it doesn't matter what! He could say the sky is purple and pink polka dots, and you believe him… just because of that stare. Not that I think he'd ever say that, he's not a liar… he's honest, but I swear, I'd believe anything he said. He's just so sure, even though some of his ideas are off or wrong, that doesn't matter… they drown his soul, so you end up drowning with him.

**_Some say love it is a razor  
that leaves your soul to bleed _**

Gawd I miss him… I know Tifa is getting worried about me; all I can do is sit here, staring out the window. I ask, every day, if Cloud's found anything, and it's always the same. Cid took Shelke on some wild goose chase no one will tell me about… I think they don't want to get my hopes up. I thought it was bad when I found him dying on the floor of Shinra Manor, this is so much worse. Then, he was there, I could do something for him… now he's missing, and that's the worst. Hanging by your toes in the region between, _He'll be alright_… and _they're going to bring back a horribly twisted body_. The last one cuts deeper and harder then anything I've ever known. When my mother was killed, sure that hurt, but I was a tiny kid… this is all too real to me.

This not knowing is killing me… it's a slow, painful internal bleeding of the spirit, and now I know how he must have felt, all those years, when he's never let the gaping wound on his soul heal… that sore named Lucrecia, that shredded him so completely, he never thought he's be able to love again. All I want to do is hold him, tell him it will be alright. Let me help you Vinnie, let me tend your wound… Please. I'm crying again, and all I can do his press my warm cheek against the cool glass and wait. I think I might pray, maybe Leviathan will protect him. Please… I never beg, but right now… I just need to hear that audible silence that let's me know everything is alright.

**_Some say love it is a hunger  
an endless aching need_**

I've never needed anyone, not really, now I feel like if I don't find out soon, either way, I'm just going to keel over and expire. I need you so bad, just to have that presence, that rock hard guarantee that you're there… oh my gawd Vincent, what am I going to do if your not. I've never felt like this, the desire to see you is clouding my judgment, it's consuming me. I need you Vincent Valentine; the ache won't go away until I see your pale ass before me.

**_I say love it is a flower  
and you it's only seed _**

I don't know why Vinnie, but you're the only one I want… I've never felt this way before. Just remember, you may think everyone would do fine without you, that we'd all just go on with our lives and not miss you. That's not true though… I'd miss you. Everyone would miss you, you saved us, and we want to save you. The seed of faith had been sown in you, even if that's all you have right now, we can help you.

Just come back to us, I know you can. You're scared and alone somewhere, but you're the strongest man I've ever met, even if you don't believe in yourself. Fight! Seek the sunlight Vincent; maybe you can get some color on that skin of yours.

**_It's the heart afraid of breaking  
that never learns to dance_**

I know you're scared to love again, we can all see it in your eyes. You run, at the smallest sign of affection, to try and sooth your battered heart. Damn it, I've never been so torn about a person before, I want to shake you and hold you all at the same time. I hope you know, once I see you again, I'm going to punch you. I'm going to hit you so hard you'll wake up in the next week.

But at least you'll be with us, and I can watch over you again. You're already broken; I don't know how worse you could get… I know I can't fix you, but can't you mend yourself? Why in the hell do you suffer for sins that were never yours to begin with? You know what, ol' Yuffie; she's going to teach you how to live again. We're going to go out to a club, and I'll ask them to play a slow, sweet song, and we're going to start with a dance. You'll pull me close to you, your claw cool on my back, and I'll take your human hand. I'll look up into your eyes and smile. _See, this isn't so bad,_ I'll say, and you'll spin me around the dance floor, with a cute blush across your cheeks.

**_It's the dream afraid of waking,_**

_**That never takes the chance **_

This dream you cling to, it's not even a nice one Vince. Let her go… let yourself move away for this self depreciatory crap and let yourself live for one. You got a second chance and yet you refuse to take it. If you don't take it, you're going to die again… I can't let that happen. When I reach for you, please take that step and reach back. When I want that dance, come with me on the small journey. Be my red rose Vince… right now you're closed up tight, like a new bud… but maybe with some light you'll open.

**_It's the one who won't be taken  
who cannot seem to give _**

Give me that at least; let me open you up, teach you to live again. I mean, really… who is better at living them Yuffie Kisaragi? I think I may be the only one in our group that is truly living, everyone else is starting to try, but they give themselves to another person, and that trust is laid bare. That is the key to making you well again; if you can give yourself to someone, it makes the loneliness easier to survive.

Let me be your rock, I know I can do it, I want to do it. Please let me help you. I don't know how many times I can ask for one thing in a prayer, but if it will work, I'll keep doing it. Maybe I can pester Fate into giving it to me.

**_And the soul afraid of dying_**

_**That never learns to live **_

You'll never get better if you don't try. Look, I've got problems too, mostly because no one ever tries to understand me, they couldn't care. I'll always be the immature brat, and as long as I fight my hardest when they say to… I'll be kept around. It seems like everyone thinks that way… everyone but you. Sure, it's not like you gave me a hug and with resounding laughter said, _it's ok kid, well get through this_. No… it was much subtler then that, much more real. You trusted me, even after I stole from you. You stood at my back and fought with me, you saved me.

When I didn't think anything could get darker, quite literally, you were there to catch me. I thought I was going to die, the pain and anguish was too hard to bear in Nero's prison. But there you were, like a dark angel, when you're arms wrapped around me and I felt the heat of your body pull me out of the all consuming despair. I know that I can do that for you Vince, I know I can help you learn to live again. It'll take a while, but I know you can do it.

**_When the night has been too lonely  
and the road has been too long  
and you think that love is only  
for the lucky and the strong _**

Just please, come back to us. Be my red rose, I want you to plant your seed in me and melt that snowy exterior. It's only so effective, since the fires in your eyes melt it away, and the truly perceptive can see what you're feeling anyway.

Hmm… Tifa's cell phone is ringing.

_It's Cid, _she says and I feel my heart stall in my chest. Oh gawd, please say they found him, and please be ok.

They just left Lucrecia's cave… they just left it and Vincent is on board. He's tired and a bit worse for ware, but he's alive. Do you hear that world! He's alive! I thought I'd be jumping around and whooping at the top of my lungs, but I can't. I slip to my knees and bury my head in my hands. I'm sobbing in relief; I can't believe it… won't until I see you again. Besides… if you were here you'd just do your eyebrow arch and tell me I'm wasting energy. So in my supreme respect for you, I'm going to give the occasion a relieved cry. Thank Leviathan, thank my friends… Thank you… you fought, I know…

It's time Vincent, it's time to live, and leave that box of yours behind forever. It's your turn to be in the sun.

**_Just remember in the winter_**

**_Far beneath the bitter snows  
lies the seed  
that with the sun's love  
in the spring  
becomes the rose_**


	3. Return

Well it seems that the story is going to be longer the three chapters. It's looking to be about 6 actually… This one is Lucrecia's POV, I don't really like her at all, but she's an important part of who Vinny is, and we needed some closure there The song is "Incomplete" by the Backstreet Boys, and this chap is a bit short and angsty… but at least she doesn't get a happy ending. I view her as very selfish, I'm sorry if other's don't LOL. FF7 is copyright Square Enix. Next one will be Vinny POV. Oh and I know this _the_ Backstreet Boys, but whoever wrote this song had some talent! The only one I'm heard of theirs that I really like, but please don't shy away from it because of that… thanks!

**The Return**

_**Empty spaces fill me up with holes  
distant faces with no place left to go  
without you, within me I can't find no rest  
where I'm going is anybody's guess  
**_

I am dead.

Well half dead, stuck in this limbo that won't let me move on; I'm trapped in this cave now, with only my regrets to lament. You left, I can't believe you did, but you walked out. Couldn't you feel my hands on your face as you laid there, half dead too? Couldn't you hear my voice speaking to you, urging you to get up, to live? I guess not, though I don't blame you… you lived for my regrets, my sins… I never meant for you to.

My heart is broken and it keeps me here, I can't move on. It's not your fault; don't ever think it is… I'm just weak. I'm afraid to meet my son and come face to face with the greatest mistake of my life. Oh Vincent, I feel so empty without you, it's so scary. You protected me until I pushed you away, so callously, but I hope you understand… I only wanted to protect you too. But I failed; I failed at everything in my life. My research, my love, I failed my son… everything. You were the one good thing and I failed you too.

Worst of all, I hurt you… I'm going to try and be strong enough to end it. You were the only reason I lingered, and now there is no point. I clung to the memories of you within me, intertwined in your arms late that night. I just thank the planet that Sephiroth wasn't yours… I didn't have to hurt you that way too. I concentrate, and even in spirit, I can feel your hands on my skin, your body pressed to mine. I don't want to let that go…

**_I've tried to go on like I never knew you  
I'm awake but my world is half asleep  
I pray for this heart to be unbroken  
But without you all I'm going to be is, incomplete_**

I tried, that whole time, to pretend this was what I wanted. I wanted to forget you, but I couldn't. I walked around in a daze and tried not to cringe when Hojo's cold fingers brushed against me. I wanted to run to you, I wanted to stop your pain. It ripped my heart out seeing you like that. I was a shell, walking around performing my duties and nothing else. I ceased to live and only existed.

Then when I walked in and saw you lying in a pool of blood, I knew what I had to do. I had to fix you, I had to save you… do what I couldn't do for your father. I'm so sorry I turned you into what I did; it was the last thing I wanted to happen to you. I've prayed, all this time, that someone would come along to unbreak your heart.

**_Voices tell me I should carry on  
But I am swimming in an ocean all alone  
Baby, my baby  
It's written on your face  
You still wonder if we made a big mistake_**

I can hear the voices in the Lifestream calling me there, I think it's time. That look on your face will haunt me forever, the one you gave me when I called it off. I could see how big of a mistake I was making, and I saw it in your eyes too. Though I sometimes wonder if it wasn't breaking it off that was the mistake, but rather starting the relationship to begin with. Did you know that I was there with you, watching you say goodbye to me? Could you feel my spirit wrap my arms around your neck and whisper how sorry I was?

_**I've tried to go on like I never knew you  
I'm awake but my world is half asleep  
I pray for this heart to be unbroken  
But without you all I'm going to be is, incomplete** _

Know that you will always be the person on my thoughts, and even though my feelings about you are muddled and I'm not even sure what I wanted, I will always watch over you. I'm not an angel; I'm just a woman… a woman that made very bad decisions. You shouldn't have had such deep feelings… You were too good for me.

I just wish for you to finally find happiness and let go of everything that wasn't your fault. I was stubborn and cruel to you, and I'm going to be again, right now.

Let it go, let me atone for my own sins… least of which is what I did to you. I finally see that spark in your eyes, I've managed to get you another chance, a real chance this time, use it.

**_I don't mean to drag it on  
But I can't seem to let you go  
I don't wanna make you face this world alone  
I wanna let you go _**

**_Alone_**

I was so happy when you woke up. Did you know I was behind you, snuggled up close to your back? I was caressing your hair as you told me goodbye, even then I didn't really want to let you go. I know you're not alone, but your hurt and in the middle of no where. I want to take care of you, even though I can't. I'm selfish, I know, but you've just been in my mind for so long, I can't help it.

You're welcome, I say, even though you can't hear me, maybe you can feel that I'm trying to let you go. You love another, I can see it there… that look that used to be directed to me. I always thought it would be, but you've moved on. I'm left here, trapped in a prison that I deserve, and I'll trust you'll be alright all alone.

You aren't really though, are you? You're standing and I'm melting against you, trying to comfort myself and face the inevitable. I can't keep holding onto you, I'm dragging you down with me.

I can't let you die, not again, even if it's only in spirit and not in form. My transparent lips press to yours, one last time…

**_I've tried to go on like I never knew you  
I'm awake but my world is half asleep  
I pray for this heart to be unbroken  
But without you all I'm going to be is, incomplete_**

I told Shelke where you where, and even though I'm selfish and covetous, you bring out the compassion in me. I was blind, and now I see.

I set you free Vincent Valentine, free of your prison, free of your sins… free of me.

I'm going to return to the Lifestream, and maybe I'll finally be able to hold the son I bore, before Hojo made him into a monster. Thank you for that, and thank you for loving me. I know who I am now; I'm Lucrecia Crescent, student to Grimoire Valentine, wife of Professor Hojo, mother to General Sephiroth… and lover of Vincent Valentine. I'm not confused any more, and I can move on, even still missing the pieces that you used to fill. I'm not afraid anymore.

I love you, and thank you for your love; because of that, I'm peaceful, even if I am…

**_Incomplete_**


	4. Line

I realize it's been awhile, so I thought I'd update here... besides I was really happy with my last Shattered chapter and it's gotten 5 reviews... I'm a bit disappointed with that... I figured something should get updated... FF7 prop of Square Enix, "Walk the Line" is an oolllddd Johnny Cash song...

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**Chapter 4: The Line**

_**I keep a close watch on this heart of mine  
I keep my eyes wide open all the time**_

Everything in my life was wrong, everything… my thoughts, my feelings, my beliefs… all of it. I don't know when it changed, but I have a feeling it was the first time I saw that grin. You know, the one that could spilt even the darkest night. I would know; I lived that for thirty years. I've made mistakes, fatal ones even, and now, standing here on the Shera, watching the clouds rush under me, I know what my biggest mistake was, and it's not what you think.

All my life has revolved around one thing, atoning for my nearly endless list of sins. I thought that each mistake I made, each imperfection I allowed to show, would just continuously add to it. There was only really one sin, cutting myself off from the most terrifying and wonderful emotion on the planet.

Love…

**_I keep the ends out for the tie that binds  
Because you're mine, I walk the line  
_**

That is my grievous sin, I forgot the reason I did those things back then, and I didn't realize it when it was happening, but everything that drove me was love. Everything that is driving me forward right now is that one, complicated emotion. I'm different; I feel it so deep inside that I can't deny it. I love you Yuffie, you are the reason I'm going to be different. I want to be a man that you can be proud to say is yours; one that you even want to say is yours.

I have to let the past go, to start fresh… you are the reason I want this… I need this. I need to be the kind of man that will tell you that you are mine… I've been bound to you for so long, I just never realized it.

**_I find it very, very easy to be true  
I find myself alone when each day is through_**

I think part of the reason I never let myself feel this, is I thought I was keeping you safe by keeping you away… yet you always followed me. Into danger, straight into a Mako Reactor, some how I think you'd follow me straight into hell if I let you. If I was alone, then the people I loved couldn't be hurt by me again… but that isn't really true, is it? I've kept myself alone, for fear of hurting you, and yet… I could still see the pain in your gray eyes.

**_Yes, I'll admit that I'm a fool for you  
Because you're mine, I walk the line_**

I am an idiot, you can all me that from now on, and I've stepped out of the darkness, to meet you half way through the night and day, in the dawn or winter's absolution, I offer my hand to you… Yuffie… you're the reason I live, and don't simply survive. Even if you don't want me, I'll always think your mine… just for you I'll walk that thin line.

**_As sure as night is dark and day is light  
I keep you on my mind both day and night_**

We really are like night and day, and most people would think up incompatible, but I don't think so. With people too alike, they have pieces all in the same places… there isn't anywhere that they can come together, they just don't fit. Without Day, there is not night, without the dark, you can't appreciate the light… and in that twilight area, were both are blended, you find the best and worst of each other…

Demons…

Thievery…

Despair… and hope… they all grow in this gray place. We are the same, and are different… but those aren't bad… I think the differences make us stronger. I know you make me stronger.

**_And happiness I've known proves that it's right  
Because you're mine, I walk the line  
_**

And I know, more then anything, that what I'm going to do is the right thing to do… I just hope you can enter that gray area with me… find solace in the twilight of the world… I can't live in the light… and I wouldn't stifle you with darkness… so in the calm, resolute in between, we will be happy. I feel it already… that only proves to me that you and I are in possession of the pieces missing in the other.

You're right… I'm right…

_We_ are right…

**_You've got a way to keep me on your side  
You give me cause for love that I can't hide_**

It's time for our friendship to progress; the affection I've felt has only grown, strengthened in our trials together… It's getting harder and harder to press the feelings back, I just can't do it anymore… You're the reason I'm smiling now… sure no one can see it… but it's there… we're nearly to Edge, I can feel the Shera dropping altitude, and I wonder if you'll be there, if you'll be waiting for me. I see the ruined Midgar, and the small, bustling city that is still trying to get past the tragedy, I wonder if you're one of the small dots on the hard earth outside the city walls… I never thought that maybe, you were hurt too.

Did I save you, are you all alright? I look to Cid, a concerned look on my face… he assures me that everyone is fine… except everyone being worried for me… and that inescapable love shines in my eyes as I look back out the window. Almost there… I see two women, two girls and two men… but my eyes can't leave the tiny ninja in the back of the group, nervously shifting on her feet.

**_For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide  
Because you're mine, I walk the line  
_**

My ninja is there, we're almost on the ground… I want to run to her… I've never been an impatient person… but you bring that out in me… a childish excitement I haven't felt in so long. You can't see it on the out side, but I'm so full of love for you, you can see it shining in my eyes…

I know that I would do anything for you… anything you ever asked… to move a mountain, or tame the sea… and I would find a way to do it… I would…

**_I keep a close watch on this heart of mine  
I keep my eyes wide open all the time_**

As we land, I put my hand on the glass, waiting for the hatch to open… please be careful, I haven't given my heart to someone for so long, I'm afraid… but deep down, I know you will take good care of it… and I'll always tend to yours… I'll never let something happen to you, which had happened to me…

I'm yours; even if you don't want me… here are the strings to my heart…

**_I keep the ends out for the tie that binds  
Because you're mine, I walk the line_**


	5. Love

Ok here is Chapter 5! I've decided to add another chapter, so there will be 7 instead of 6... but that will more then likely be it... This song is "Crash and Burn" by Savage Garden, FF7 is always prop of Square- Enix. I'm probably going to write another Shattered chap today... for those of you that also follow it. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 5: Love**

**_When you feel all alone  
And the world has turned it's back on you  
Give me a moment please to tame your wild wild heart  
I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you  
It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold  
When darkness is upon your door and you feel like you can't take anymore _**

I think I just squealed… Tifa and Marlene are giving me a strange look. Denzel was too engrossed in the Shera landing to care what the girls were doing. I still can't stop being angry that Shelke got to see you first, but hey… I can see a teeny red spot, standing at the window…

I hope I don't loose my cool… I mean come on… I have to be the Great Ninja Yuffie… I can't be screaming… oops… I think I just did again… and I can't stop moving… I just can't wait to see you. I know things have been bad for you, I just want to help you get better… please, please… let me help you get better.

**_Let me be the one you call  
If you jump I'll break your fall  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
If you need to fall apart  
I can mend a broken heart  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
You're not alone_**

The airship is landing, the back draft from the engines is pulling my hair all around, but I can't help but smile like an idiot and wave. I can actually see you, you do look tired, but you also look alright… you're alright and I just can't believe it… I'm pretty sure I have tears running down my face right now…

It's from the wind… _right_… that's what I tell Tifa when she looks at me concerned… My attention is taken away when the hatch opens, and I see you walking down it, with Cid and Shelke behind you. Before I know it I've covered half the ground between him and me…

**_When you feel all alone  
And a loyal friend is hard to find  
You're caught in a one way street  
With the monsters in your head  
When hopes and dreams are far away and  
You feel like you can't face they day  
_**

He made it to the bottom of the gang plank before I hit him… I crashed into his chest and wrapped my arms around him… "Vincent…" is all I can manage to say through my sobs, I'm just so relieved to see him. I'm surprised when I realize we'd toppled to the ground, and yet he doesn't seem angry at all. I feel his strong arms around my shoulders, he pulling me as close as I could be… and he chuckled.

Let me impress upon the world how huge of an event this really is…

Vincent freaking Valentine is _hugging_ me! Not only that miracle, but he's laughing…

A perfect, deep, beautiful chuckle… I not only can hear it, but I can feel it reverberate in his chest… you know the nice, warm muscle bound one I'm crushed to right now. I looked up into his ruby eyes, "Are you laughing at me?"

"No," he said softly, looking back into my eyes, "I'm laughing at myself…"

"You aren't alone anymore," I whisper to him… and he smiles at me… "I know," he whispered back. I reached up to gently touch the side of his face, "What about Omega and Chaos?"

"They're gone… back to the planet… and so…" he swallowed and forced himself to look at me, I could see sadness there, but also a trace of something I'd never seen in his eyes before… Hope.

"And so is Lucrecia… she's finally at peace."

**_Let me be the one you call  
If you jump I'll break your fall  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
If you need to fall apart  
I can mend a broken heart  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
You're not alone  
_**

Somehow, that last declaration gives me courage… "Vincent, I want to be here for you… I can help you heal… please let me help you. If you need to crash, and just let go… I'll be here. I'll always be here for you. I'll catch you…" I'm looked down, not wanting to see if there is some sort of rejection in his eyes, but I feel his gloved hand slip under my chin and lift my face to look into his. "Thank you Yuffie," he nearly breathed, pulling my face closer to his…

**_Because there has always been heartache and pain  
And when it's over you'll breathe again  
You'll breathe again  
_**

I know that I can't take all the pain that you feel away, it will always be there, as it always has been, just as mine can not be forgotten. It can be mended though, and you can come out of the dark tunnel… Right now I can see you take a deep breath… sucking in life and the pulling away of the claws of death… I can feel the warm air on my lips, across my cheek…

You're breathing, you really are alright… I slipped my arms around your neck as you pulled me closer, giving me that first, sweet kiss… I slip my eyes closed and concentrate on the feelings running through me, the complete, perfect love I feel just from a small sign of affection.

This is it world, Yuffie Kisaragi is gone… jumped off the deep end… I take a breath before the plunge and as we pull apart I whisper…

"I love you."

**_When you feel all alone  
And the world has turned its back on you  
Give me a moment please  
To tame your wild wild heart _**

He looked up at me; the expression was something I'd never seen from him before. Before I could figure out what it was though, he'd already captured my lips in a possessive, passionate kiss, and I let out a whimper of desire as he crushed me tighter against him. I was barely aware that our friends were giggling and gasping around us, but at that moment I didn't care…

It seemed that Vincent felt the same way I did, that we really had grown closer in Reactor Zero… it wasn't just my imagination. Somehow he'd managed to pick me up without breaking the kiss, and my legs were now wrapped around his waist. After a few more minutes, he brushed his tongue across my lips, seeking entrance into my mouth. I'll remember the first time I was able to taste him more vividly then anything… He tasted like cinnamon… I _love_ cinnamon…

**_Let me be the one you call  
If you jump I'll break your fall  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
If you need to fall apart  
I can mend a broken heart  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
You're not alone_**

Once we finally parted, he gave me a tiny smile and started to walk back to the bar… He acknowledged everyone else, but his attentions were really all mine. We went to the room I'd been staying in, and he laid me softly on the bed. He reached up and gently… oh so gently caressed my cheek, and gave me that smile again… "I love you too Yuffie."

Of all confessions of love, ever said in history, there was none more expressive then that. With those three words, he's said so much…

_I'm here…_

_The past is behind me…_

_I want you to be with me…_

_Stay…_

I smiled back at him, "Do you finally realize it now Vinnie? What we've been trying to tell you all along?"

He nodded a bit and took me in another soul stealing kiss…

_**You're not alone…**_


	6. Live

Alright, there is only one chappie left, and it's going to be from Vincent's point again... the Lucrecia chapter kinda threw stuff off, but oh well. Maybe I'll make it from both their perspectives... I'll see when I write it. This is "Breathe" from Faith Hill, and as always FF7 is prop Square Enix. It's a bit short, but the song is kinda short... Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 6: Live**

_**I can feel the magic floating in the air**_

**_Being with you gets me that way  
I watch the sunlight dance across your face and I've  
never been this swept away_**

I never thought that this would happen… not to me. I'm lying here, next to a beautiful woman, and I don't feel ashamed… you're running your fingers over the scars I carry and there is nothing there but acceptance. If I had the ability, I'd weep… Look at what I've been missing… Your hair is so soft, and smells so good, and when I kiss you I can taste myself… I've never had that before. I can taste you; feel you… you are so real to me.

Look… I'm alive, my heart is full and whole and the entire world is right here in this room. For the first time in my life, I believe someone when they say I'm beautiful… I feel it. The afternoon breeze is pulling at the sapling growing in the corner of the room, the shadows and light of the dying day play across your skin and I want to touch you… I want to take you again.

What have you done to me Yuffie? Whatever it is… please don't stop.

**_All my thoughts just seem to settle on the breeze  
when I'm lying wrapped up in your arms.  
The whole world just fades away  
the only thing I hear  
is the beating of your heart  
_**

When I close my eyes, the frightening images aren't bombarding me… all I feel is the comfortable pressure of your arms around my waist, the gentle beating of your heart. Your breath is rushing over my chest as you dream of sweet things. I don't ever want to move, everything is so perfect right now.

I don't want to break this spell. I just want to lay here and listen to the soft sounds in the room… feel you next to me and enjoy everything. It's been so long, I feel like a newborn, wanting to experience everything…

And really, in a way… that's exactly what I am. I've been reborn and baptized in the feelings I have for you… You saved me…not just my life, but my soul as well.

**_'Cause I can feel you breathe  
It's washing over me  
Suddenly I'm melting into you  
There's nothing left to prove  
Baby all we need is just to be  
_**

It's been so long I had forgotten what being alive felt like. I thought I was content with simply existing or not existing at all, but this feeling of completeness is growing on me. I may have loved Lucrecia, but she was never really mine… she was Hojo's and mine, and it just doesn't feel the same.

I remember when I was little, really little; I asked my father how he knew he loved my mother. He told me that 'if you look at your hands intertwined, and they looked like they could meld into one… then that means you are in love.' I think what he meant was, if you can never see your hand holding another that you are meant for each other… I wonder what he would have thought if I told him that it had happened with my whole body. Yuffie, you just fit so perfectly against me… I never want to loose this.

_**Caught up in the touch  
The slow and steady rush  
Baby, isn't that the way that love's supposed to be  
I can feel you breathe  
Just breathe  
**_

Everything feels like it's moving so fast and yet not fast enough. The feelings I have do feel like I'm falling, is this how it's supposed to feel? The same, reckless abandon I used to feel when I could fly? I feel like I can't breath, the emotions are clogging in my chest and all I can do is to pull you closer to me. I can't loose this, not again…

I feel out of control, and yet I trust you not to let me get hurt… I'm falling, but I know you are going to be there to catch me. "Breathe, baby…" you whispered to me softly, and then I realized I was holding my breath. When I let it go, it's like I'm letting all the poison from the last thirty years go too…

**_In a way I know my heart is waking up  
As all the walls come tumbling down  
Closer than I've ever felt before  
And I know  
And you know  
There's no need for words right now_**

"Vince, you ok?" I hear the small tremble in your voice, I can tell you want to know, but you don't at the same time. Are you afraid that I won't want you now? It could never happen…

"Yes Yuffie, I've never felt better." Did you know, even when you giggle you get that wide smile of yours? I don't know when I let you in so close, but you snuck in that wall around my heart, and set to work on smashing it to a million pieces with a very large sledgehammer. When our eyes meet, I just can't help myself… I rolled you onto your back, looking into your eyes…

And we both know what we want… what we need from each other in that instant… there is no need for words.

**_'Cause I can feel you breathe  
washing over me.  
Suddenly I'm melting into you  
there's nothing left to prove  
Baby all we need is just to be  
_**

I can't help but kiss you tenderly, wanting everything to last as long as possible. Our union is the purest expression of love I can think to give.

_My heart_…

_My body_…

_My life_…

It's all yours, I am yours and you are mine. That's all there is, there's nothing between us, we really are one. Part of me wants to deny it, so I don't get hurt again, but the rest of me just wants to surrender. We are together, one… And I can't think of a better recipient of my love…

**_Caught up in the touch  
the slow and steady rush  
An' Baby, isn't that the way that love's supposed to be  
I can feel you breathe  
Just breathe _**

As I slip into you, I know there is no where else more precious to me, no where I'd rather be then with you, the way it should be. I can't believe I finally got it right, and it's all thanks to you. You believed in me when no one else could… I blame and bless your unstoppable stubborn streak. We can breathe together, a joining of mind and body.

You are perfection, I love you more then I could ever hope for. I pray your spell on me keeps hold… just being with you makes me complete.

**_I can feel the magic floating in the air  
being with you gets me that way_**


	7. Adventure

Awww…. Final Chapter! I hope you all have enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it! I know I had two chapters that were both from Vince's point of View, but the story was ultimately about him and his growth… oh well… This song is "The Adventure" by Angels & Airwaves… and as always FF7 is prop Square Enix! Read and Review please, this is the first of my multi-chaptered stories I actually finished!

* * *

**Chapter 7: Adventure**

_**I wanna have the same last dream again **_

_**The one where I wake up and I'm alive **_

_**Just as the four walls close me within **_

_**My eyes are open up with pure sunlight **_

_**I'm the first to know **_

When I woke up, I was alone again… I started to think that everything that had happened was a dream, something concocted in my damaged psyche. But when I sit up and look around, I'm still in that room, there's a bra hanging on the doorknob… and I smile. I'm amazed how the small things make me so happy. The sun is gone, but I feel like I've been asleep for days instead of hours. I know my body took a beating, but I didn't realize how much…

And I feel different, maybe it's because of the loss of Chaos, I don't feel so invincible… I feel like a man… I glance around and see my clothes strewn about, I look down at my left hand and my gauntlet is gone… the purple skin, my outward manifestation of Chaos was still there, but it seemed to be healing… I hear the door click and a dark head pokes in and gives me a bright smile, despite the darkness in the room. It's like the moonlight can't even touch you Yuffie…

"Come on… get dressed."

"Why?"

"You'll see…" You give me another cheesy grin and disappear. I can't help but chuckle and start to pull my pants on, followed by my shirt. I look to the claw, leaning silently in the corner, and I leave it there… I don't need it really, not among friends. I reach for my cloak, but I don't put that on either. I've spent enough of my life hiding…

It took me awhile to find my bandana; Yuffie must have just tossed it in her haste to get me undressed…

Not that I minded though…

_**My dearest friends **_

_**Even if your hope has burned with time **_

_**Anything that is dead shall be re-grown **_

_**And your vicious pain, your warning sign **_

_**You will be fine **_

As I slipped through the portal, I saw my bouncy ninja just ahead of me, dressed in a black belly shirt and black shorts, her headband firmly in place. My muscles are stiff, and ache terribly, but I don't mind the pain, it reminds me of everything I had to go through to get here in the first place.

You beckon me with your finger and hurry down stairs, and I wonder silently what you have planned… I know you are up to something… I've come to know that mischievous grin over the years.

I walk out into the bar, and everyone is there… Cloud is leaning against the bar and he gives me a small nod, Tifa looks up from her wiping to smile sweetly. Nanaki gets up from his laying position, a tired Marlene clinging to his red fur and trying to sleep, Barret is smiling from his seat in the corner. Cid walks up and hands me a shot of whiskey, motioning me to drink it, then Reeve frowned a bit in disapproval, but soon his eyes came to Vincent's… he saw relief there… He had his hand on Shelke's shoulder; who was looking at him with quizzical eyes.

It was so quiet, like every one of them was afraid to speak, that I'd evaporate into mist and be gone again… I can see the uncertainty in their faces… Even Cloud's…

_**Hey oh here I am **_

_**And here we go **_

_**Life's waiting to begin **_

"I'm back," I say softly, shattering the silence like a glass… the whole group erupts into chatter and laughter, I receive claps on the shoulder, and hugs from Marlene and Tifa… and I don't mind it… the gentle touches and smiles just make it more real. I feel like it's finally beginning…

The rest of my life… or maybe this is the start of a new one…

_**Any type of love it will be shown **_

_**Like every single tree reach for the sky **_

_**if you're gonna fall **_

**_I'll let you know _**

**_that I will pick you up _**

**_like you for I _**

Cloud's voice cut through the chatter, the calm tenor caught everyone's attention, like it usually did. "So Vincent… what exactly happened up there."

What do I tell them? I'm not entirely sure myself, but I decide that I should be as truthful as I could… "Chaos stopped Omega; once that happened, I think Lucrecia saved me, I woke up in her cave… but Chaos is gone, returned to the planet."

Everyone just looked at me in stunned silence, and I smiled a bit… "It feels good, I was happy to give my life to save all of you, and she ended up saving me again. I think…" my garnet eyes settle on Cloud's blue ones, "that sin can be forgiven…"

**_I felt this thing _**

**_I can't replace _**

_**when everyone was working for this goal **_

_**where all the children left without a trace **_

_**only to come back as pure as gold **_

_**to recite this all **_

I watch smiles come to their faces, and I know that we really are a team, and no matter what happened in the future, we always would be… We all worked for the same things, to make up for the mistakes and losses in the past, and to move forward, to make the world a better place…

I just realized it a little later then most…

_**Hey oh here I am **_

_**And here we go **_

_**Life's waiting to begin **_

_**Tonight **_

Tifa came around the bar with champagne and glasses, pouring some for everyone… We were going to celebrate; we'd all saved the world again, and for once… I felt like part of the 'we.' I feel a small hand slip into mine, and I look down at my beautiful ninja, and you smile up at me with the softest look in your eyes. I can't stop myself from kissing you gently, smirking a bit at the commotion that it caused… "You should make a speech…"

I blink and look at you askance, "Me? I don't talk…"

"Vince, stop making jokes and say something… we've all been worried about you…" I just look down at you, then back to everyone… "I'm starting over, walking down a road that I've never been down before… I need all of you to help me… I can't do this without you all."

_**I can not live **_

_**I can't breathe **_

_**Unless you do this with me **_

"Cloud, we've had very similar pasts, the one thing you had that I didn't, was Tifa there to help… I took me longer, but I've come to the same conclusion you did last year… you were my leader in that, even more so then battle."

I turn my attention to Tifa and raise my glass, "And to Tifa, who has fought to keep us all together… she has the most strength of all of us."

_**I can not live **_

_**I can't breathe **_

_**Unless you do this with me **_

I look to Cid and nod a bit, "To Cid, who is always our wings in adversity… if not for him, and his flying ships, we'd all be dead several times over." And then to Nanaki, "to the great protector of Cosmo Canyon, your wisdom is inescapable… it's hard to believe you are considered a juvenile by your kind… you certainly don't act it."

_**I can not live **_

_**I can't breathe **_

_**Unless you do this with me **_

I don't know how, or why, but I'm feeling better with each comment, like now my friends will know how much I care for them… at least once in my life I can do this… I can see the happiness and acceptance in their eyes… I am whole again…

"Barret, you were the catalyst that brought us all together, if not for you, and your firm beliefs, none of this would have happened, and I'd still be in that coffin."

_**I can not live **_

_**I can't breathe **_

_**Unless you do this with me **_

"And Reeve, you forced me into helping… caused me to face my painful past, paired me up with Yuffie… and gave me no choice in the matter… Thank you." A small laugh escapes Reeve as he nods… he knew he was guilty of pressing the issue, but it was only because he cared… that much was evident on his face.

_**I can not live **_

_**I can't breathe **_

_**Unless you do this with me **_

"To our new found companion, Shelke… you have growth and learning ahead of you, and I hope Lucrecia and her memories can help. She would be happy to know the knowledge… and mistakes she made are put to good use. I kept my promise, to her and to you… and I let it go…" The girl got a whisper of a smile on her face and nodded… I hope I can be here to help you, like you helped me…

_**I can not live **_

_**I can't breathe **_

_**Unless you do this with me **_

Finally, I turn to you, my shinobi, and I smile… "And lastly, to Yuffie… you are everything bright and good in my world… we shared something no one else can understand, down in that reactor… and I promise you, I won't fail my love for you, like I failed my love for Lucrecia…"

You look a bit puzzled, "You didn't fail… I thought you understood that…"

"I know I didn't fail her, but I gave up on love, because of her… I failed that… I won't let it happen again." I feel your arms slip around me, and you lean up to kiss me… "I love you too Vinnie…"

_**Hey oh, here I am (do this with me) **_

_**Here we go **_

**_Life's waiting to begin (do this with me) _**

_**Hey oh, here I am (do this with me) **_

_**Here we go **_

**_Life's waiting to begin _**

So, here I am, at the end of one journey and the beginning of another. I can't do this without any of you; I don't want to do this without you… Yuffie, I hope you know how much I love you, and my friends…

I hope you know too…

It's time to live… and I'm more then ready for this adventure.

**_Life's waiting to begin… _**

**FIN**


End file.
